by Holly Martin
* * *
Out on the street George turned on Libby. ‘What the hell was that about? I’ve never known you to be so selfish before.’
‘Oh George, you couldn’t see the truth if it came out and bit you. Do you think I’d really leave Amy to stay with her boss for no good reason?’
‘Well apparently you had a good reason: “my sofa’s too lumpy, I have asthma”.’
‘Let me know when the penny’s dropped, won’t you, and in the meantime you carry on thinking I’m a cruel heartless bitch.’
George walked in silence next to her. Poor Amy, having to stay with her boss. Seb was a great guy, he would help anyone out, but he clearly hadn’t reckoned on having a house guest when he woke this morning. He probably offered to be polite and hadn’t thought Amy would accept. Why did Amy accept? Unless she knew Libby better than George did and had expected her to be selfish. What if she needed help getting dressed, Seb couldn’t do that. Amy would be so embarrassed having Seb put on her bra and knickers for her. But it would be weird for Seb too. The last woman who had lived in his pub was Marie. George supposed it would be nice for Seb to have some company, someone to talk to who wasn’t Jack. He could cook for Amy and they would eat together and it would be nice for Amy to have someone to look after her for a change, she was so used to doing everything for herself. But why would Libby not want Amy to stay with her? If Libby had been involved in a car accident, he would insist that she stayed with him, or he stayed with her so he could look after her. That’s what friends did. Though there would be an ulterior motive to having Libby living with him. Having her there, with him twenty-four hours a day would be heaven and…
‘Oh,’ George said, suddenly.
‘There it is,’ Libby said next to him. ‘Took you long enough.’
‘Amy likes Seb?’
‘I’m pretty sure the feeling’s mutual.’
‘Seb likes Amy?’ George was incredulous. ‘But there hasn’t been anyone else since Marie died.’
‘Then it’s high time there was. She loves him, George, has done for months but I was always sure that he didn’t return the feeling. Amy swore that he did. Now it seems he loves her too; the car accident probably jolted him out of his stubborn reverie.’
George smiled. He liked the idea of Amy and Seb together.
‘But don’t say anything to anyone, I’m sure Judith wouldn’t be happy if she found out. Don’t mention it to them either. Not until they feel ready to talk about it. We’ve got to let them sort this out themselves and any interference on our part could shake the foundations before it’s even started.’
‘And making up a lumpy sofa and asthma isn’t interfering?’
‘That’s giving a helping hand.’
George grinned in relief. He couldn’t bear the thought of Libby being selfish.
‘So, still want to go out with me on a date tonight, or have you changed your mind since I’m so self-centred?’
‘I’ll go with you anyway. We can’t all be perfect like me. Being with me will give you something to aspire to.’
George was surprised and confused to see Libby blush as she looked away.
‘In more ways than one,’ Libby muttered.
‘What?’
‘I’ll see you at half six then.’ Libby smiled brightly and closed the door to the flat behind her.
* * *
Seb had called in Sally and Mandie to work the bar whilst he tended to Amy. Normally he would call on Judith if he was short-staffed, but he could hardly call her and say that he wanted her to come round so he could look after Amy in his bed upstairs. He had called to cancel their long-standing arrangement of dinner, but he’d just said something had come up and hoped his vagueness hadn’t piqued her curiosity.
Apart from George, Libby and his chef, Gavril, who had seen Seb bring Amy through the back, no one knew he had Amy upstairs – and he’d like to keep it that way. It was none of their business and quite frankly he needed to figure it all out in his head first before he announced it to the town.
She was asleep now, lying in his bed, facing away from him with her hair over her bare shoulder like a satin black scarf. She was beautiful. Today he had nearly lost her without telling her how he felt.
It wasn’t just lust and a desire to sleep with her, he was kidding himself if he thought it was. With the fear of her dying, before the blood turned out to be fruit juice, the feelings he had for her crashed over him like a tidal wave. Afterwards those feelings had turned to relief and complete euphoria that she was alive. He had been given a second chance with her, something he never had with Marie. Every single part of him was now screaming at him to grab her and make the most of life with her while he had the chance. Life was so short and ultimately very unfair so he needed to live it now and not spend it worrying about the future. He hadn’t looked to the future since Marie had died, spending the last five years looking over his shoulder for the grim reaper. Now he wanted that future with Amy … but it scared the hell out of him. She had escaped death today but would she be so lucky again? It was stupid living his life with this utter fear of losing those around him but the pain of losing Marie had been immeasurable and he was scared to open himself up to that level of pain again. But he knew he couldn’t walk away from Amy again either.
She stirred and slowly sat up.
‘Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow,’ she whimpered quietly as she moved.
‘What are you doing?’ he growled, and she jumped at the sound of his voice.
‘I didn’t know you were there.’
‘Evidently. Why are you getting out of bed?’
She stood gingerly but he came round quickly to her side of the bed.
‘I don’t want to have to tie you to the bed, you’re supposed to rest.’ He swallowed as he realised she was wearing a long black satin nightie that clung beautifully to her hips and breasts. Damn it, even in bed she was glamorous.
‘I need the loo, Seb, and then I need something to eat.’ She shuffled to the door.
‘Well, I’ll help you go to the toilet and—’
‘You will not, I’m not quite ready for you to wipe my butt for me just yet. Not when we haven’t even slept together.’
‘I actually meant I’d help you down the corridor.’ He put his arm round her waist and relished that he had an excuse to touch her. ‘And then I’ll make you some soup.’
She slid her arm round his waist too, leaning on him. ‘Do you not have a pub to run? You can’t sit up here and watch me sleep for the next few days, least of all because it’s a little bit creepy.’
‘I wasn’t going for the stalker approach, just came to see if you were OK and you happened to wake up while I was standing there,’ he lied. He actually had been watching her for fifteen minutes or more.
They passed a small room, with a single bed that he had hastily made up.
‘Is that where you’re sleeping tonight?’
He nodded.
‘That’s silly; you’ll never fit in there. I’ll sleep there instead.’
‘No, it’s really uncomfortable, trust me. Here, the bathroom’s just through there.’
‘Then sleep in the bed with me.’
He opened his mouth to protest but she pressed on.
‘I promise not to molest you in the middle of the night; besides, your bed is huge, we can both spread out and still not touch each other.’
‘You might be able to control yourself, Amy Chadwick, but there’s no way I can lie in bed with you and not touch you.’
She leaned up, sliding her arms round his neck, and instinctively his hands went to her waist. Her body was pressed against his, her lips just centimetres from his own. ‘Then touch me.’
He swallowed. ‘You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?’
‘Every second and if I wasn’t in a whole lot of pain right now, I’d be enjoying it a whole lot more.’
He kissed her forehead, the only part he could safely kiss without getting carried away.
‘Now if t
hat’s all you’re going to offer me, I’m going to the loo and you can go and see Gavril about doing me some soup.’
Still holding her, Seb pressed his face to her hair. ‘I’m quite capable of opening a can of soup.’
‘I’m sure you are, but I want some of that leek and potato I saw him cooking when we came in, and I’m very demanding – something you may learn one day.’
He released her and watched as she smiled sexily at him, closing the bathroom door. She was going to be trouble, having her here was going to be trouble. And he was enjoying every second of it too.
* * *
Judith was sitting at her computer. She had been annoyed that Seb had cancelled their dinner plans that night without explaining why. She’d wanted to talk to him, about Marie, about moving on and that he shouldn’t feel obligated to her. She wanted to tell him of her plans to travel the world. And she wanted to talk to him about Amy, dissuade him from going down that path if he was inclined to take it any further than that kiss. She didn’t know what she could do to persuade Seb from being with Amy, but maybe he should be told that she was a prostitute; he had a right to know that at least.
Being free tonight had given her the excuse to look at world cruises. Turquoise waters, golden sands, lofty skyscrapers, beautiful cathedrals, quaint cottages, great French villas, jagged mountains, emerald green rainforests and towering waterfalls had drifted out from the web pages, dazzling her senses. She had found one cruise that took in all the sights and sounds of the world in a hundred days. It was pricey, but affordable. It was discounted too as it was leaving in four weeks and they wanted to fill the last remaining cabins. For the last half hour, her fingers had hovered over the keys to book it. If she left, Seb would be free from any obligations to her or Marie. She would get the chance to see things that she had never experienced before in her lifetime, to do the things Marie had wanted to do but never got the chance. Judith could release herself from the tedium of life in White Cliff Bay, to read the books she wanted without judgement, to meet people, to make friends.
There was a knock at her door just as she pressed the ‘book it now’ button and a form had appeared asking her for all her details.
To her surprise it was Dave Wilson and his heavily pregnant wife Kat.
‘Hello?’ Judith said in confusion.
‘Hi,’ Kat said, looking flustered, ‘do you know where Amy is?’
Judith found herself bristling at the very mention of Amy’s name. ‘Well, I presume she’s in the pub. She works when it’s Seb’s day off.’
‘No, she had a car accident today, Dave’s just retrieved her car with his tractor.’ Kat indicated the tiny red Mini, battered and broken on the road behind her. ‘We brought it round and came to see if she’s OK, but she’s not answering and I’m worried about her. Do you have a spare key?’
Judith found herself going cold. As much as she despised Amy, she wouldn’t wish what Marie went through on anyone.
‘Is she OK?’
‘Well, Seb said she was,’ Dave said, looking concerned.
‘Why… why would Seb… Was he with her, is he OK?’
‘Seb was in the pub when she called from the car. I’ve never seen anyone look so scared before in my life, the colour literally drained from his face and then he was gone, shouting at me to man the bar and call an ambulance. He came back several hours later, said she was OK, just cuts, bruises and mild concussion, but…’ Dave gestured vainly at Amy’s door.
‘Oh no you’re mistaken,’ came Mary’s thin voice from next door; her neighbour was quite possibly one of the nosiest people Judith had ever met. ‘Seb and Amy came back from the hospital late this afternoon, about four o’clock. She looked very shaken and sore, the way she carried herself I imagine she was badly bruised all over. They went into the house for about ten minutes and then they both came back out, he was carrying a bag for her and they got in his car and drove off. She hasn’t been back since.’
Judith found her heart was beating, furiously. Not Seb and Amy. He would be worried about his staff, about any one of his friends who had been involved in a car accident, but to just leave his pub without a second thought was unheard of. And to go to the hospital with Amy and then where? Where was she now? In his bed, in the bed he had shared with Marie? Judith felt sick.
‘I bet he took her to stay with Libby or George,’ Kat said.
Yes, that was it, Amy would be staying with Libby, her best friend.
‘No I don’t think so.’ Mary grinned hugely. ‘My Peter saw Libby and George race into the pub and go up the stairs at about four thirty and then come downstairs again about ten minutes later. George looked very worried apparently, though Libby was beaming. My bet is Amy’s staying with your young Seb.’ Mary looked positively ecstatic to be imparting this news to Judith.
‘Makes sense I suppose,’ Kat said, turning to Dave. ‘You said Seb has had a thing for Amy for months now.’
Dave eyed Judith, his eyes bulging. ‘No I didn’t, I never said that.’
‘Yes you did,’ Kat said, angrily.
‘I bloody didn’t, pregnancy must have addled your brain, woman. Seb doesn’t like Amy.’
‘Oh yes he does.’ Mary was grinning from ear to ear. ‘Any idiot can see that, the two of them are besotted with each other. Rumour has it he’s been sleeping with her since she started work at the pub. About bloody time too, I say.’
Judith turned and slammed the door.
She stalked to her computer and turned it off. There was no way she was going on this world cruise now, she couldn’t possibly leave Seb in that slut’s clutches.
* * *
‘Come on, George, we’re going to be late,’ Libby said, racing down the hill past The Pilchard towards the village square. George ran by her side, his blue coat flapping in the wind behind him, making it look like a superhero’s cloak.
Suddenly Suzanna from the chemist called across the street to Libby, stopping her in her tracks.
Suzanna ran across the road towards her, which made Libby smile. She must be in her nineties but that didn’t seem to slow her down. Libby had seen her running round town after her grandchildren on many occasions. Suzanna eyed George with some embarrassment.
‘Might I have a word in private?’ she said.
‘I’ll wait for you,’ George said, strolling off to the bottom of the hill.
Suzanna slipped out a copy of Libby’s latest book from her bag as if it was some illegal contraband. Although everyone in the town knew the real Libby, most people in the town knew she wrote under a pseudonym.
‘I was hoping to run into you, I’ve been carrying this around in my bag for the last few days just in case. I wonder if you would sign it for me,’ Suzanna whispered, looking around to see if anyone was watching. It made Libby laugh that some of the older generation were so coy about Libby’s books. They weren’t erotica, they were certainly a far cry from the whips and handcuffs of the Fifty Shades series. Her sex scenes did get a bit steamy sometimes but the books were definitely more romance based than sex based.
‘Of course,’ Libby said, taking the book and the pen and signing her name inside. She passed it back.
‘Thank you so much, dear.’ Suzanna slipped the book back in her bag. ‘I hear you and young George are dating now?’
How on earth did she hear that? But nothing stayed secret in White Cliff Bay. ‘Oh no, not really. He… We… He’s helping me with my next book, it’s research more than anything.’
‘Oh, of course, dear, but really, if you want to research dating, you need to go the full hog. Maybe you should see what he is like in bed too, I’m sure that will help you get inspiration.’
Suzanna smiled and walked off leaving Libby wondering how she would even begin to suggest to George the idea of platonic sex.
She ran down the hill towards George and as a man stepped out from one of the shops in front of her, she swerved to try to avoid him, slipped on the icy wet ground and ended up sitting at his feet.
‘Shit, are you OK?’ the man said, offering her his large hand to help her up. She took his hand and he pulled her to her feet. He was huge – easily the biggest man she had ever seen in her life – and good-looking too, with those gorgeous soft grey eyes and long lashes.
Libby suddenly realised her bum was soaking and probably bruised and her pride was in tatters; this really wasn’t the romantic start to her date with George that she had envisaged.
The man was joined by a blonde teenager who looked at her with amusement and George arrived on the scene a second later.
‘Are you OK?’ the man asked again.
Libby nodded. ‘Yes, thank you, sorry I nearly knocked you over.’
‘Come on, Lib, we’ll be late,’ George said, wrapping his arm round her shoulders possessively and flashing a glare at the man who had helped her.
They walked down the hill and Libby heard the girl laugh. ‘Jeez Dad, women are literally throwing themselves at your feet.’
‘Are you OK?’ George asked, softly.
‘Yes, I’m fine.’
‘I didn’t take you for the “swooning at a man” type.’
Libby laughed. ‘I didn’t take you for the “being jealous over me talking to another man” type either.’
George looked back at the man. ‘Looks like he fell out of a bloody Gap commercial.’
‘I don’t go for big men,’ Libby said. ‘I go for men with curly hair and a wicked sense of humour.’
‘Really?’
‘Oh yes,’ she teased and George smiled as they walked into the bakery.
Linda Forbes, who ran the bakery with her daughter Polly, had already started her talk and they snuck onto a table at the back hoping she wouldn’t notice their lateness.
‘What are we doing here?’ George hissed as Linda went over the ingredients on the table in front of them and told them all they would get the recipe on a sheet before they went home.
‘We’re making mince pies.’